The Indianapolis Colts had a bit of a mess at inside linebacker in 2025. Zaire Franklin had been a starter at the spot for several years, but he was awful in pass coverage. His outward observations about the team also appeared to miff general manager Chris Ballard at times.
Franklin wasn't the only issue for Indy, though. They didn't have a true partner next to the veteran at the beginning of the season, but then, after Germaine Pratt was released by the Las Vegas Raiders early in the season (there appeared to be a lack of a cultural fit with Pratt on the team), Indianapolis chose to pick him up.
The move appeared to make sense, as Pratt had played with the Cincinnati Bengals for several years under defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, and Anarumo was in his first season with the Colts in 2025. Unfortunately, the experiment of reteaming Pratt with Anarumo failed.
Failed 2025 Indianapolis Colts experiment, Germaine Pratt, is still looking for a new NFL home
This offseason, Pratt wasn't re-signed by Indianapolis and is currently adrift on the free agency oceans of the NFL. Fans might wonder if another team will take a chance on the 30-year-old linebacker. He will accumulate tackles, as his position requires, but he is terrible in some aspects.
As with Zaire Franklin, Germaine Pratt is poor in pass coverage. Having them both on the field left the defense in a position where there was a gaping hole in the middle of the field for an opposing quarterback to complete passes. This crippled any hopes Indy's defense had of being good.
In 12 games for the Indianapolis Colts, Pratt gave up four touchdowns while breaking up just three passes. He did have an interception as well. He also allowed 123 yards of the 282 yards he gave up to be after the catch. For an inside linebacker, that's atrocious. He should have been able to wrap up receivers immediately, but often watched as they ran away from him.
While Anarumo's system doesn't often require off-ball linebackers to supply quarterback pressure, the players still do in case a play breaks down. Pratt, though, had just three pressures after joining Indy. That was the total he had for the season, matching a career low for the linebacker he first set in 2020.
In other words, Germaine Pratt simply isn't capable of making quarterbacks feel nervous, either in pass coverage or QB pressures. He's a good tackler, but teams need so much more than that.
The Colts did make the wise decision not to have Pratt back, even with his ties to Anarumo, but no other team might take a chance on the linebacker either. He's only 30 years old, but he plays like he's much older.
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